In 1981, he was one of the co-founders of the Memphis Group, a design movement that helped shape form and style throughout the 1980s. The following year, he was appointed the chair in product design and ceramics by the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

In 1984, he founded his Studio, in Milan, Italy. Between 1990 and 1993, he worked as the Creative Director at Swatch.

In 2001, the 'Side Hotel' he designed in Hamburg was selected as "Hotel of the Year". In 2004, the 'Vigilius Mountain Resort' won the Wallpaper Design Award while in 2005 the 'Radisson SAS' in Frankfurt became the "best hotel opened in the year" in the Worldwide Hospitality Awards.